Britney Spears releases Britney Jean today. My track by track review

Britney Jean, the newest album from Britney Spears is being released today, one day after her 32nd birthday. Overall this album has more hits than misses but strangely the strongest tracks weren't released as the first or second single. Unlike, Femme Fatale, this album features a fair balance between the dance tracks and the mid-tempo/ballads.  While I think Britney's voice is suited for dance backdrops, she sounds surprisingly good on half of the mid-tempo tracks.  The lyrics have gotten significantly deeper than her previous albums and we are seeing a more grown-up Britney.  While her manager and record company touted this record as Britney's "Ray of Light," referring to Madonna's most critically acclaimed 90's masterpiece which revived Madonna's career and is on many respected greatest albums of all-time lists, Britney Jean doesn't have the same cohesive theme or energy as the album it was inspired by.
If you are only going to buy a couple tracks to try the album out, then you should start with:
1. Body Ache
2. Till It's Gone
3. Passenger

Here is a review of the tracks IN ORDER of FAVORITES:

1. "Body Ache" -- This hot electro house edm track reminds me most of "Scream & Shout," mixed with some 90's hi-nrg euro. The best track on the album with her best vocals to date. RELEASE THIS NOW!

2. "Til It's Gone" -- Heavy EDM track that is hard to get out of your head and another vocal stand-out from Ms. Spears. One of her best songs ever!

3. "Passenger" -- Katy Perry gets writing credits and Diplo gets production credits on this slower mid-tempo track and what I think should have been, either the first or second single from this album.

4. "Alien" -- William Orbit worked on this awesome mid-tempo track.

5. "Work B----" -- We all know this one. While I love this track, I am not happy that it was chosen as the first single. Nonetheless the beat is hot and the video is hotter.

6. "Tik Tik Boom" (featuring T.I.) -- Super sexy lyrics against a hip-hop pop-hop backdrop with super catchy chorus to boot. Ultimately this could have been released by any of todays female singers so expect more from britney but nonetheless its highly addicting.

7. Now That I Found You - Great EDM track with a country vibe similar in sound to that Pitbull/Kesha collaboration thats out. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful vocals. Great track! This should be on all versions of the album.

8. "It Should Be Easy" (featuring will.i.am) -- This is my least favorite of the EDM Will.I.Am tracks.

9. "Perfume" -- Sia gets writing credits for this track. I was expecting much more from a Sia collaboration and these are not my favorite Britney vocals. Shocked that this was chosen as a single release. This is sadly headed for flop status. The "Dreaming" version (which is on the deluxe) sounds significantly better to me than the original

10. "Chillin' with You" (featuring Jamie Lynn) -- Awkard track on an overall great album. Clearly, shes trying to help promote her sister with this filler track. Pass.

11. "Don't Cry" "Brightest Morning" "Hold On Tight" -- Not impressed with any of these slow jams.        

LADY GAGA - ARTPOP ALBUM REVIEW

Artpop is a solid album of pop gems. Lady Gaga melds the accessibility of her Fame album with the electronics of the Born This Way album to give us this superb collection of art pop. DJ White Shadow produced half of Artpop. I personally would like Gaga to try out new producers when she starts work on her next album.  Half of their effort I love and the other half I could easily do without. The following tracks are DJWS productions:
"Sexxx Dreams" - Super sleek production and a major contender for a single - my only concern is the song name might be deemed to controversial so they may change it to the name that appears on the clean version of the album, X Dreams.
"Jewels n' Drugs" (featuring T.I., Too Short and Twista) - Though this is my least favorite song on the album it is still quite catchy and works with todays trap sound. I think if this track and one or two others were left off, this would have been a perfect album.
"ManIcure" - Super cathcy anthem with a chorus that seeps into your brain and won't stop.
"Do What U Want" (featuring R. Kelly) - super sleek and sexy with an 80's vibe. Hands down this one is an album gem. While it was originally intended as a promo single, the fact that it went to #1 in over 71 countries, was proof enough that this could potentially be a major hit for Gaga, and is now the official second single for Artpop.
"Artpop" - This track could have easily been on the Born This Way album. Electronic pop opera is what comes to mind when I hear this. The clean electro production and the sexy vocals from Gaga are pure magic.
"Swine" - This track may not be as accessible as others on the album but like every track on the album has a sense of melody, some stronger than others but all have a common pop theme. This is probably the most edm, club heavy track.
"Applause" - love this track. It's a crime it didnt go to number one.

 The remaining half of the album includes production from french house producers Zedd and David Guetta along with Leqlercq AKA Madeon and will.i.am:
 1. Fashion! - This funky track sounds like a merging of Daft Punk's Get Lucky, Madonna's Holiday, and David Bowie's Let's Dance and just makes me want to move. This is a David Guetta/will.i.am production and for the most part is pop perfection. The problem for me is the last 40 seconds kind of get too hectic and kill the groove. Nonetheless, I absolutely love this track.  In her recent muppets thanksgiving variety special that aired on television, Gaga surprisingly performed this track and invited, drag race diva Rupaul to duet with her.  Its was perfection.
2. Donatella - This beat is so fierce and strong with a diva-esque fashiony comedic alter ego with comicy lyrics to go along with what is a surefire club banger. This Zedd production needs to be released asap!
3. Gypsy - Produced by Leclercq, this is the "Edge of Glory" on this album and should be the next single.
4. G.U.Y. - Guy Under You is another excellent Zedd production with a great beat to dance to. 5. Dope - This is the only ballad on this album and is just stunning. Based on the strength of the other songs on this album I am not sure I support this one being a single but based on indicators when it was released as a promo, it may do well.
6. Aura - Strong fresh electronic opener. There's a demo floating around that some gaga fans prefer over the final released version. It may be worth searching the web to hear what you think.
7. Venus - While I love the beat of this track, I am just not a fan of the lyrics.
8. Mary Jane Holland - is one of the very few track on the album which I skip. The chorus is drab and brings the energy down.

 Long story short, Lady Gaga has put out an album of 15 tracks with minimal fillers and a strong number of potential number one singles. If you want a fantastic electronic album to dance to, this is the one. She exudes confidence, pokes fun at herself and pop culture while infusing today's electro edm beats as her back-drop.  The pic is from the limited edition RSD record story day vinyl release of "Applause."  There are only 2000 copies of this 12" in existence.

Britney Spears - Work Bitch New Single

Britney returns to the limelight today, not that she ever left, with her new Will.I.Am produced first single, "Work Bitch" from her as-yet-untitled eigth studio album release. This is her first full length since 2011's wildly successful Femme Fetale which spawned her fourth #1 single, "Hold it Against Me" but also contained one of her most successful radio hits, "Till the World Ends." Riding the heels of her previous #3 Billboard hit, with Will.I.Am, "Scream & Shout," Britney keeps the same formula: spoken british vocals, melodic breakdown and a heavy club beat. Let me know what you guys think of the track in the comments section.

Britney Spears - Work Bitch (Will.I.Am)

Here is a pic of Britney on the set of the video for "Work Bitch"

TRAK OBSESSIONS OF THE WEEK

Here are this weeks top tracks that I can't stop listening to:
Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
Lana Del Rey returns with another stunning gem, Young And Beautuful, which is the theme song to the Baz Luhrmann film, The Great Gatsby.

Little Boots - Every Night I Say A Prayer
Taken from her album "Nocturnes" which hit iTunes this past week. The album is excellent and has prompted me to fall in love with "Every Night I Say A Prayer" again. It was heavily featured on my playlist in 2012 and is now back for 2013. The album version has been touched up a bit. Take a listen to this excellent album.

I Miss Janet Jackson - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I know she's off gallivanting around the world with her billionaire arab husband, but I think its time Mrs. Janet gets back to work. We need some new music from you Janet! I loved 2008's Rodney Jerkins produced, "Feedback", from the not-so-amazing "Discipline" and I even loved her soundtrack single "Nothing" from Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married 2" but we are long overdue for a comeback album.

I would love it if Janet got together with Andy Butler from Hercules and Love Affair and put out some early 90's sounding house tracks reminiscent of artists like Inner City, Black Box and Technotronic. I would also love a collaboration between Janet and Calvin Harris who seems to do wonders when he gets in the studio with amazing female artists. The work he did with Kylie Minogue, Rihanna and most recently with Florence and the Machine all come to mind.
Anyway, I just uploaded some classic Janet from 2004 when she made a post Super Bowl appearance on Good Morning America to perform singles from her, at that time, newly released 2004 album, Damita Joe. She performed one of her very few memorable tracks from the last decade, All Nite (Don't Stop) and the very forgettable, disastrous first single, I Want You. She also talks about the Super Bowl incident and then some. Check it out and leave comments. Part two to come shortly.

Madonna - Give Me All Your Love - Full New Single 2011

 
Sorry for the messy blog post - go here now to hear the new single from Madonna, produced by Martin Solveig off her upcoming studio album.

Madonna - Give Me All Your Love - Full New Single 2011
10% Off Pet Supplies (10x Super Points) at Buy.com! Valid June 29-30, 2012.

BJORK - BIOPHILIA ALBUM REVIEW

Let's get straight to it; All the buzz surrounding the overall release of the album has been really good. Biophilia's overall concept is not just about the music but also the visuals, the apps and all the technology surrounding this album. This is a modern day way to release an album and we may start to see this from other artists.
This album has also described as a great way to teach students about the solar system and as an educational tool, the accompanying apps (available in apps stores) could make learning these scientific concepts exciting and interesting. Well darn, I wish I were a student and learning about the solar system for the first time through Bjork. But I am not. I'm a 31 year old Bjork fan and all I want is a good Bjork album. Well the music itself as a whole is rather dull and it breaks my heart to say it. There is nothing groundbreaking about it and it sounds like a rehash of Vespertine, Selmasongs and Medulla....and sadly not a rehash of the gems of those respective albums. There are a few tracks on this album that wish they were "Pagan Poetry" but don't come anywhere as close to the genius of that song. I just don't understand why Bjork stays in this strange folky electronic moody dark drab world. It was groundbreaking with Vespertine but lets move forward or if she's going to copy her old work, why cant it be something from the first three albums....ugh!

I'll split this up into three categories. The gems are the best tracks on the album but I wouldn't consider these overall career bests. The mediocre tracks are just that, just OK! Why she released Crystalline as the first single is beyond me. Lastly, there are the duds and on this album the two worst tracks have the opportunity of showing up twice.

The Gems:
Thunderbolt - (Bjork, I'm craving a miracle myself....that you'll put out a song I can try to sing-a-long too...ie: Triumph of a Heart, Big Time Sensuality, I Miss You, Army of Me, Violently Happy, Hyperballad, Joga...)
Cosmogony
Virus - This a major album highlight
Mutual Core - This is another major highlight - love the classic Bjork wailing
Nattura - (This track came out almost 2 years ago - nonetheless its wonderful and really stands out when surrounded by so many duds)

The Mediocrity:
Moon - Great potential/doesn't hit the mark.
Crystalline - Not first single material.

The Duds - (This is that experimental stuff that some may call groundbreaking...I call it filler - 6 filler tracks on an album with 13 total tracks. Not good!)
Dark Matter - both versions.
Hollow - What is this and why do we need an additional seven minute version?
Sacrifice
Solstice